Monolithic wall slab and method of constructing same



Dec. 7, 1965 E. VEVODA 3,221,457

MONOLITHIC WALL SLAB AND METHOD OF GONSTRUC'I'ING SAME Filed June 25, 1962 INVENTOR. ERNEST VEVODA Afro/we rs United States Patent 0 3,221,457 MONOLITHIC WALL SLAB AND METHOD OF CONSTRUCTING SAME Ernest Vevoda, 100 Broderick St., San Francisco, Calif. Filed June 25, 1962, Ser. No. 205,044 3 Claims. (Cl. 52-438) This application is a continuation-in-part of my copending application Serial No. 733,607 filed May 7, 1958, and entitled, Building Blocks, Prefabricated Walls and Methods Associated With the Same, and now abandoned. The copending application disclosed wall structures in which members similar to building blocks are positioned in aligned stacks and courses, the blocks providing spaced walls held in parallel relation by crosswalls. The crosswalls are spaced inwardly from the ends of the blocks and terminate short of the upper edges thereof so as to provide vertical and horizontal channels extending the height and width of the wall slab. The space between the spaced walls is filled with a concrete grout which surrounds reinforcing rods extending through the vertical and horizontal channels.

This invention relates to a monolithic wall slab and method of constructing same, and more particularly to reinforced concrete wall slabs having vertically extending buttresses.

With this type of construction, the blocks act as forms for the concrete grout and no external form work is required. The present application is directed to structures of this nature in which the concrete material of which the form member is composed has the same characteristics as the concrete grout material. More specifically, the application is also directed to a Wall slab having vertically extending ribs or buttresses provided by L-shaped configuration of abutting ends of one set of the spaced walls of the form members.

Accordingly, it is a principal object of the present invention to provide a wall slab construction which is truly integral and monolithic, that is, in which hollow, concrete block-like form members retain the liquid grout and become united therewith to provide a homogeneous concrete wall slab structure.

Another object of the invention i to provide a mono lithic wall slab of the character described in which the block-like form members are composed of concrete material having characteristics similar to the concrete material used as a grout.

A further object of the invention is to provide a method of forming a monolithic reinforced concrete wall slab of the character described.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a reinforced concrete monolithic wall slab of the character defined Which incorporates integral, vertically extending buttress portions.

Further objects and advantages of my invention will be apparent as the specification progresses, and the new and useful features of my monolthic wall slab and method of constructing same will be fully defined in the claims attached hereto.

The preferred form of my invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing forming part of this application, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a fragmentary portion of a monolithic wall slab constructed in accordance with the present invention;

FIGURE 2, a plan view of an individual block-like form member used in constructing the monolithic wall slab of FIGURE 1; and

FIGURE 3, an end elevational view of the block-like form member of FIGURE 2.

3,221,457 Patented Dec. 7, 1965 While I have shown only the preferred form of my invention, it should be understood that various changes or modifications may be made within the scope of the claims attached hereto without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Referring to the drawing in detail, it will be seen that the wall slab of the present invention consists basically of a plurality of hollow, block-like form members 11 composed of concrete material and arranged in aligned stacks and courses defining an enclosed area into which a concrete grout material 12 is poured, the wall slab being reinforced by horizontal and vertical reinforcing members 13 and 14. The block-like members 11 act as forms to hold the grout material 12 during the pouring and setting thereof and become united with the hardened grout material to provide a homogeneous, monolithic Wall slab.

As here shown, each of the form members 11 includes a comparatively thin rectangular first wall 16 and a second wall 17 held in parallel spaced relation to the first wall by a plurality of transversely extending crosswalls 18. The positioning of the form members 11 in aligned vertical stacks and horizontal courses, in the manner shown in FIGURE 1, places the first and second walls 16 and 17 of each form member in coplanar abutting relation to the corresponding first and second Walls of the adjacent form members.

In order to accommodate horizontally and vertically extending reinforcing members 13-14, the crosswalls 18 are spaced inwardly from the adjoining ends of the form members 11 so as to define therebetween vertical channels extending the height of the wall slab. The crosswalls 18 are also formed so as to terminate short of one of the lateral edges of the adjacent form member so as to define horizontal channels extending the width of the wall slab.

As illustrated in FIGURE 1 of the drawing, I prefer to have the crosswalls 18 terminate a spaced distance below the upper edge of each of the form members 11. With this construction, when the blocks are arranged as depicted in FIGURE 1, the horizontal channel extends along the upper edge of the last laid horizontal course of form members and the reinforcing members 13 may easily be placed in such channels prior to adding the next horizontal course of form members.

While the reinforcing member 1344!- may be of any suitable material, for reasons of consistency with standard building codes and practice, and for reasons of adequate and inexpensive supply, I prefer to utilize standard reinforcing iron or steel rods of the type having ribbed surfaces. The reinforcing members may be secured in proper position in the horizontal and vertical channels by any suitable conventional means such as wiring, etc.

As an important feature of the invention, the block-like form members 11 and the grout material 12 are formed of concrete material having similar characteristics so that when the grout material is poured into the area defined by the form members 11, it will bond to the form members and the entire structure will harden and set into a homogeneous, monolithic slab. I have found that a con crete material composed of approximately one part of Portland cement to three parts of sand and two parts of maximum pea gravel will lend itself well to the formation of both the form members 11 and the grouting material 12. If desired, a conventional Waterproofing agent and not more than onetenth part of lime may be added. The described mix should have a 28-day strength of at least 2000 lb. per sq. in.

Sufiicient water should be added during mixing to provide adequate plasticity for pouring without separation of the mixture. The grouting should be done in lifts not 3 exceeding four feet by means of a conventional grouting pump or from a special bucket suspended above the wall slab structure. If grouting is halted for one hour or more, the pour should be held at least 1 /2 inches below the top of the uppermost course of blocks. Conventional vibrators may be used to eliminate air bubbles and voids.

In accordance with the present invention and as an important feature thereof, the described wall slab structure and method of constructing same is particularly suited to produce a buttressed wall slab, that is a slab having horizontally spaced thickened rib portions running vertically the height of the slab.

As here shown, the buttresses 19 are conveniently provided by forming the confronting ends of the second Walls 17 with generally L-shaped portions 21, that is, the portions 21 are of generally L shape when viewed from above. The L-shaped portions 21 of adjacent block members cooperate to define the hollow vertically extending buttresses 19. The reinforcing rods 14 may be mounted in the hollow area of the buttresses 19, if desired.

From the foregoing it should be apparent that I have provided a novel and valuable integral, homogeneous, monolithic reinforced concrete wall slab and method of constructing same in which precast block-like form members are positioned in such manner as to contain a liquid grouting material of similar characteristics, thus affording an extremely strong wall slab which may be easily and conveniently formed at the site of construction or at a remote site for shipment as part of a prefabricated building structure.

I claim:

1. A wall slab, comprising a plurality of form members composed of concrete material and having a rectangular first wall and a second wall, said walls being of substantially uniform height and held in parallel spaced relation to said first wall by a plurality of transversely extending crosswalls, said form members being positioned in rectilinear relation to each other in aligned stacks and courses with the said first and second walls of each form member in coplanar abutting relation to the corresponding first and secondwalls of the adjacent form members, said crosswalls being spaced inwardly from the adjoining ends of said form members so as to define therebetween vertical channels extending the height of the wall slab, the adjacent ends of said second Walls being formed with generally L-shaped flanges, the ends of said L-shaped flanges abutting and cooperating with the ends of the L-shaped flanges of an adjacent form member, and the ends of said first wall abutting and cooperating with the ends of an adjacent first Wall thereby defining with said abutting L-shaped flanges hollow vertical buttresses extending the height of the wall slab along each joint between said aligned stacks of form members and the adjacent stacks, said crosswalls of each form member terminating a spaced distance from an upper edge of the form member thereby defining horizontal channels extending between said first and second walls along the length of the wall slab, said horizontal channels communicating with said vertical buttresses when concrete is poured therein, reinforcing members extending through said hollow vertical buttresses and said horizontal channels, and concrete material of a composition substantially the same as the concrete of which said form members are composed filling the hollow vertical buttresses and the space between said first and second walls so as to provide an integral and monolithic reinforced concrete slab.

2. A wall slab as defined in claim 1, and wherein said reinforcing members consist of steel reinforcing rods.

3. A wall slab as defined in claim 2, and wherein said concrete material is composed of approximately one part Portland cement, three parts sand, and two parts of maximum three-eighths inch pea gravel mixed with sulficient Water to provide plasticity.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 836,908 11/1906 Wolfe 52438 X 1,084,098 1/1914 McIntyre 52-437 X 1,416,709 5/1922 Hahn 52281 1,566,21 1 12/1925 Henderson 52-440 2,172,053 9/1939 Robbins 52-405 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,242,969 8/ 1960 France.

189,342 5/ 1937 Switzerland.

OTHER REFERENCES Parker, Simplified Design of Reinforced Concrete, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York, copyright 1943, pp. 1416.

FRANK L. ABBOTT, Primary Examiner.

JACOB L. NACKENOFF, HENRY C. SUTHERLAND,

Examiners. 

1. A WALL SLAB, COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF FORM MEMBERS COMPOSED OF CONCRETE MATERIAL AND HAVING A RECTANGULAR FIRST WALL AND A SECOND WALL, SAID WALLS BEING OF SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFORM HEIGHT AND HELF IN PARALLEL SPACED RELATION TO SAID FIRST WALL BY A PLURALITY OF TRANSVERSELY EXTENDING CROSSWALLS, SAID FORM MEMBERS BEING POSITIONED IN RECTILINEAR RELATION TO EACH OTHER IN ALIGNED STACKS AND COURSES WITH THE SAID FIRST AND SECOND WALLS OF EACH FORM MEMBER IN COPLANAR ABUTTING RELATION TO THE CORRESPONDING FIRST AND SECOND WALLS OF THE ADJACENT FORM MEMBERS, SAID CROSSWALLS BEING SPACED INWARDLY FROM THE ADJOINING ENDS OF SAID FORM MEMBERS SO AS TO DEFINE THEREBETWEEN VERTICAL CHANNELS EXTENDING THE HEIGHT OF THE WALL SLAB, THE ADJACENT ENDS OF SAID SECOND WALLS BEING FORMED WITH GENERALLY L-SHAPED FLANGES, THE ENDS OF SAID L-SHAPED FLANGES ABUTTING AND COOPERATING WITH THE ENDS OF THE L-SHAPED FLANGES OF AN ADJACENT FORM MEMBER, AND THE ENDS OF SAID FIRST WALL ABUTTING AND COOPERATING WITH THE ENDS OF AN ADJACENT FIRST WALL THEREBY DEFINING WITH SAID ABUTTING L-SHAPED FLANGES HOLLOW VERTICAL BUTTRESSES EXTENDING THE HEIGHT OF THE WALL SLAB ALONG EACH JOINT BETWEEN SAID ALIGNED STACKS OF FORM MEMBERS AND THE ADJACENT STACKS, SAID CROSSWALLS OF EACH FORM MEMBER TERMINATING A SPACED DISTANCE FROM AN UPPER EDGE OF THE FORM MEMBER THEREBY DEFINING HORIZONTAL CHANNELS EXTENDING 